Aerial vehicles are becoming increasingly common. For example, consumers, governments, and various enterprises have begun to utilize unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to perform various operations. While increased usage of UAVs have reduced the cost and increased the ease of various flight operations, UAVs have various difficulties and drawbacks. For example, UAVs generally need to periodically refuel, recharge, and/or receive maintenance in order to operate reliably. In addition, with increased functionality and more complex missions, UAVs often require electrical housing, circuitry, power supplies, and other electrical components that contribute to the overall weight of the UAV. Increased and more complicated payloads cause UAVs to consume more power and increase the frequency of needed docking and maintenance.
In addition, because safety is a major consideration when operating UAVs, UAV circuitry often includes redundant hardware to be compliant with safety and reliability requirements. Indeed, many UAVs include multiple redundancies to ensure that the UAV does not crash and potentially harm people or property. These redundancies, when implemented as single function and separate Line Replaceable Units (LRU), contribute substantially to the overall weight of the UAV and cause the UAV to consume more power. In addition, having redundant LRUs contributes to the costs of developing, producing, servicing, and operating the UAV.
These and other problems exist with regard to UAVs.